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Sunday, May 5, 2013

Riddle of The Missing Dollar

Three people decide to get a hotel room. The room costs $30. Each chips in $10, they pay the clerk, and head up to room 310.

The manager reviews the transaction and sees that en error has been made. The clerk forgot to give the $5 rebate that was advertised as the Tuesday special.

The manager opens the cash drawer and pulls out 5 one dollar bills. He hands them to the clerk and sais, "Bring this money up to room three-ten and apologize for the mistake."

In the elevator on the way up, the clerk figures that no one will know if he decides to keep a few bucks for himself. So, he puts two dollars in his pocket and keeps only three singles in his hand.

When the guests open their room door, the clerk apologizes and tells them that he forgot to apply a rebate special to their bill. Each of the three guests recieves one single dollar bill, bringing their individual cost down to $9 each for the room.

If each person paid $9 for the room, that is a total of $27 for the cost of the room after recieving their portion of the rebate.

If you then add the portion of the rebate which the clerk decided to keep to the $27 you reach a total of $29. But the total cost of the room was originally $30.